Wednesday, February 3, 2010

While I haven't bee fishing in 80 days, I have been able to maintain sanity by reading. My last day on the water in 2009 was in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I'm sure I will spend more time there in 2010, as it is the closest "real" trout water to my current location.

I saw this book advertised on the Little River Outfitters web site, so I placed an order from the author's personal web site.

The author, Jim Casada, has sixty years of experience fishing/exploring the Smokies and after reading this book it is quite apparent he knows the Smokies like his own backyard.

You can also order the book directly from his site. I sent him an email to ask if he would sign a copy and I had a response within the hour.

I loved the layout of the book; he breaks each chapter down into each watershed. Within these watersheds he includes bases of operation (hotels & campgrounds), backcountry campsites, and trails for access. He also includes the minor tributaries and an "A" through "D" rating system. Where this book differs from most "guide" books is: he includes a great deal of history, both researched and personal knowledge, as well as the origin of some very unique stream names.

The book also includes a park trail map, which I found myself pulling out from time to time to "follow along". I probably would have finished the book in half the time had the map not been included.

The book was also written with a very nice addition of southern dialect scattered throughout. My favorite, which he used several times to indicate a difficult hike, is "mare's shank". I actually had to Google this phrase.

Bottom line: If you've ever fished Great Smoky Mountain National Park or plan to some day as part of your "Life List", I highly recommend this book. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

I also now know that I need to somehow find my way above this landmark:

Next up is a newly published book from the founder of Angler's Life List, the great web site for the native trout/char fanatic, Anders Halverson. His book: An Entirely Synthetic Fish: How Rainbow Trout Beguiled America and Overran the World.